Debunking Common Myths About New Technology Training
Tips From Your Corporate Training Company
Keeping up to speed with new technology in today’s global marketplace is essential to remaining competitive and is a never-ending challenge for companies. For Learning Leaders this means creating effective training and development to up skill employees, especially sales and service teams.Depending on the type of new technology rollout which could include scheduling systems, business-to-business commerce platforms, sales management tools, or a new CRM system, the learning team could be looking at a number of factors like training across global offices, multilingual training material and support, tight time lines to align various locations simultaneously and of course, how to deal with employee resistance to change.
In addition to all of these, Learning Leaders also must deal with resistance from upper management who may simply want the fastest approach implemented, resulting in the least amount of disruption to day to day operations.
In these cases, companies will resort to having their IT or Human Resources department provide employee training or even have a representative from the new technology company to provide upskilling. The problem with this however, is one, that the training in more cases than not is not suited to the target audience, two, there is not follow up support available and three, its usually a one and done situation, leaving employees frustrated and confused when it comes to the final implementation stage.
The reason for this push is usually due to several misconceptions about new technology training and what it takes to effectively implement corporate training that actually works.
Here are the top 5 myths around new technology user adoption that we deal with when working with our clients at TrainingFolks.
MYTH 1: New Technology Training Is Too Expensive
The reason that new technology training is seen as an unnecessary expense is that management may not see the long-term savings tied to the short term spend. Not putting the money towards creating a full training program together to help implement and support new technology means employees that don’t understand how to use it will end up producing poorly, giving customers a poor experience and may even result in employees leaving the company is frustration.
Hiring contract trainers to help support successful implementation is a cost savings in the long run. Besides allowing the company to roll out the new training across locations simultaneously, having local contract trainers provide the training means a savings on travel costs and ensures that any cultural or language requirements are met. By going contract, companies can also scale up or down as required, saving time and money of recruiting, hiring, onboarding and supporting internal teams.
(Need Contract Trainers now? Contact TrainingFolks today)
MYTH 2: Creating a Technology Implementation Strategy is Too Complex
The problems that can follow a poorly executed new technology implementation strategy is actually where the complexity lies! If organizations can develop corporate training that focused on basic principals of communication, application and understanding, then this type of training is no different than any other learning imitative.
Three tips to success with creating a winning strategy are:
1. Content should be simple and easy to understand
2. Training should be learner-centric for application on the job
3. Remember the culture and learning style of your audience when deciding on the best modality for communication
MYTH 3: Training Implementation Plans Take Too Much Time To Organize
Again, not following through with a clear and concise training method before implementation will only end up wasting more time down the road. This is not always easy for Learning Leaders to explain to upper management when time is ticking. It may be helpful to communicate the clear benefits and time savings associated with a strategy in place. Remind them that:
1. An implementation plan clearly communicates which business goals are important to follow
2. The plan increases cooperation and efficiency by opening lines of communication across all departments involved
3. Your strategy is your road map of your training process which outlines critical milestones and ensures a smooth transition
MYTH 4: Technical Training Should Always Include Technology
A common myth around new technology implementations is that the training to support it should be tech heavy as well. This, however, is not always the most effective way to create the best training experience for your learners. Depending on your target, traditional formats may be more effective and provide the kind of learning environment for your employees. This is where the planning stage is critical once again since these are some of the key questions that are answered early on.
(Download Your free Technology User Adoption Checklist today)
MYTH 5: Effective Training Programs Only Come from Corporate Training Departments
A major reason that small to mid-size companies shy away from implementing formal new technology training is the belief that only larger companies can afford to initiate it. Regardless of the size of your business, the value of training your employees doesn’t change especially when dealing with new technology.
If companies have smaller internal learning teams, then partnering with a corporate training company like TrainingFolks is a great option. Working with a full-service training services provider ensures that you have the support to create a strong training needs assessment from which your plan will stem. If you require development, using a third-party provider ensures the training project moves along without disrupting other day to day responsibilities of the internal team. Then contract training consultants can be hired only when required to carry out the training event and support. All of this can be managed within your budget and timelines as well.
(Create a winning business case to support your Contract Trainer Hire for New Technology Implementation. Free business case download.)
If you’re in need of assistance with any phase of your upcoming new technology rollout, contact the corporate training experts at TrainingFolks today. We’d be happy to provide a free consultation and walk you through your upcoming implementation needs.
